
Christmas is Not Your Birthday
There was a time when churches were reluctant to take an offering at their Christmas Eve services. The reasoning was that many people at those…
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There was a time when churches were reluctant to take an offering at their Christmas Eve services. The reasoning was that many people at those…
Soon the seasons of Advent and Christmas will be with us, and we will be inundated with commercials and product advertisements on television, radio, and…
What do you think about financial stewardship? While there are a host of resources for churches on developing giving, it’s important to clarify your own…
My mother became a Christian when I was four. From that day forward, we were in church every Sunday … almost. Stewardship Sunday was the…
One of the simple realities of congregational life is that most churches are financially dependent on voluntary giving. Most pastors do not relish the annual…
Three established authors on the subject of congregational finances have new books to help congregations develop joyful and generous givers. Each author has important contributions…
More than ten years ago, I was introduced to “paperless giving” as a way to receive the offering in worship. A specified amount of money…
In our U.S. Congregational Life Survey, worshipers rated the extent to which ten factors influence their decision to give to their congregation. The most important…
Many Christians tend to oversimplify the essence of scripture’s teaching with regard to money in such statements as “Christians must tithe” or “the faithful will…
Recently I talked with a pastor about how to fund a $6,000 need beyond the resources of the church budget. I felt he had an…
This article is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary available at churchleadership.com.